Other Diplomacies and Canada: Representations and Relationships Beyond the State

Other Diplomacies and Canada: Representations and Connections Beyond the State offers a comprehensive exploration of the diverse diplomatic roles played by Canadian-linked non-state actors. Moving beyond traditional, state-centric views of diplomacy, this book presents rich case studies spanning language activism, climate change, tourism, childhood, migration and diaspora, humanitarian work, international development volunteering, Indigenous diplomacy, and solidarity activism.
By examining these varied forms of “other diplomacies,” the book seeks to expand our understanding of diplomacy as a practice embedded in social relations and spaces far beyond official state channels. Chapters on Indigenous diplomacy, the diplomacies of childhood, and anthropocentric approaches challenge conventional, political, and ethical assumptions in mainstream and critical diplomatic studies. Through detailed analysis, this volume reveals when, how, and why non-state actors connected to Canada engage in diplomatic practices, and explores the power dynamics shaped by class, gender, ethnicity, race, nation, and age within these encounters. It demonstrates that non-state actors are not only diplomatic agents in their own right but can also serve as collaborators or instruments of the state in official diplomacy.
Essential reading for scholars of international relations, Canadian foreign policy, critical diplomatic studies, and transnationalism, this book sheds light on the complex, contested, and often overlooked forms of diplomacy that shape Canada’s global presence today.

Lana L. Wylie is an associate professor in the Political Science Department at McMaster University.

Mary M. Young is an external research associate at the York Centre for Asian Research, York University.

Susan J. Henders is an associate professor in the Department of Politics at York University.